The four of us living a good life is more important than anything else.
"Bang!"
A rough hand slammed a piece of paper onto the square table. The vinegar-braised chicken on the plate shook.
Ye Qingzhou put down her chopsticks, her beautiful eyes blinking slightly as she looked at the uninvited guest before her. The man was dressed in shorts and clothes, reeking of cooking oil, and looked furious. Who was he? She'd never seen him before.
"Why have you only eaten so little?" Jiang Jinghong frowned slightly, only paying attention to Ye Qingzhou and not sharing any with the man across the table. He picked up a piece of five-willow fish vinegar and fed it to Ye Qingzhou: "Have another bite."
"You...you..." The man stared wide-eyed at the couple, feeling he couldn't bear to look.
Ye Qingzhou had no choice but to eat it.
"One more spoonful." Jiang Jinghong took another spoonful of porridge.
With the spoon already in front of his mouth, Ye Qingzhou mumbled, "The last bite."
"Eat quickly," Jiang Jinghong urged, feeding her the porridge.
Then, Jiang Jinghong picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of bamboo shoot, and fed it to Ye Qingzhou.
"I'm full, I don't want to eat anymore." Ye Qingzhou didn't open her mouth.
"You bastard, are you ever going to stop?" The man, who had been ignored for so long, pointed at the note, his fingers trembling with anger: "Jiang Jinghong, you ate and dashed, pay up."
Under the table, Ye Qingzhou quietly shook his leg, her eyelashes fluttering as if asking: What should we do?
"Hmph!" Jiang Jinghong sneered, put down her chopsticks, and drank a cup of wine: "Who sent you? Go find them."
"Damn it! You're really arrogant." The man's dark, fat face trembled, and he gritted his teeth, saying fiercely, "I'll show you what I'm made of. Brothers! Come in!"
Seven or eight men sitting nearby instantly stood up and surrounded Jiang Jinghong and Ye Qingzhou from all sides, leaving them no way to escape.
"Is another fight going to break out?" Ye Qingzhou moved closer to Jiang Jinghong. Jiang Jinghong sized up the group of people, then pulled Ye Qingzhou into her arms.
Upon seeing this scene, the other diners, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire, quickly got up and left.
The innkeeper's assistant called out to the manager, urging him to come and take a look.
A man strolled leisurely into the inn's lobby and said with a smile, "Jinghong, you're here? There are two constables outside looking for you."
The one who smiled smugly while watching Jiang Jinghong suffer misfortune was Yu Xi.
However, upon seeing Ye Qingzhou, whose entire body was protected by Jiang Jinghong's arm, Yu Xi's happiness instantly turned bitter.
Yu Xi's words proved true. Two bailiffs carrying knives entered and asked, "Which one is Jiang Jinghong? Come with us."
Jiang Jinghong's eyes swept over Yu Xi's smug face, and she said to Ye Qingzhou, "Don't be afraid, wait for me to come back."
Those troublemakers followed them away.
“Jinghong.” Ye Qingzhou stood up and followed him.
"Why are you calling him? I am your husband. Ye Qingzhou, look at me." Yu Xi stood in front of Ye Qingzhou, her face full of resentment.
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Jinghong was taken away by the yamen runners. Ye Qingzhou was being held back by Yu Xi and couldn't leave. Just as she was feeling helpless, she saw her senior brother and sister-in-law being led over by a shop assistant, and quickly called for their help.
The master's wife retorted, "Yu Xi, you've also studied the classics. Is it like you're a man to make things difficult for a pregnant woman?"
Ye Qingzhou walked towards her senior brother and sister-in-law.
Yu Xi held onto her tightly.
In a moment of desperation, Ye Qingzhou bit him.
Yu Xi winced in pain and slapped her across the face.
The master's wife reacted quickly and pulled Ye Qingzhou over in time.
Yu Xi pulled up her sleeve and saw the teeth marks on her arm, cursing under her breath.
Ignoring him, Ye Qingzhou took out silver notes and travel permits from her person and handed them to her senior brother and sister-in-law: "Jinghong has been taken away by the yamen runners. He was framed. Please help me."
The senior brother took the things and hurriedly went out.
As he passed by, Yu Xi vaguely saw the silver notes in his hand.
"Ye Qingzhou, you stupid, dim-witted woman! Anyone can swindle money from you? Those are banknotes, how could you give them to him? What about the rest? Give them to me, I'll keep them for you." Yu Xi stretched out her hand.
Ye Qingzhou shook his head and stepped back.
Her sister-in-law supported her and looked at Yu Xi with a pout.
"A day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness. Qingzhou, we've been married for ten years. Is that less than what you and Jiang Jinghong have done in just a few months?" Yu Xi pressed on relentlessly.
"That young woman has fallen for someone else!" A diner pointed at Ye Qingzhou and said, "The most poisonous heart is that of a woman!"
“We’ve been married for ten years. My dowry and my parents’ property have all been spent on your family. In return, you poisoned me, tried to kill me, and now you want to take a concubine. Isn’t everything I’ve done enough?” Ye Qingzhou glared at him hatefully.
"Hiss, this man is so ruthless!" The shopkeeper's wife, standing behind the counter, shook her head as she listened. "No wonder people say, 'A man without ruthlessness is no true man.'"
Seeing Ye Qingzhou ascend the steps and head upstairs, Yu Xi tried to pull her back, but her sister-in-law stopped her.
"Qingzhou, my mother, she didn't poison you on purpose. She's my mother! You can't expect her to pay for your life! Don't mention it again. She's so old, let her enjoy her retirement. She's waiting for you to be filial to her!" Yu Xi shouted.
"My goodness! It's like cracking open a bug while eating sunflower seeds. I can't stand it anymore." The shopkeeper's wife took out a rag and wiped the counter.
"Is her life a life, but mine isn't? Go away! I don't want to see you." Ye Qingzhou held onto the stair railing and climbed the stairs.
“That’s right.” Her sister-in-law followed behind her.
"Madam, I'm waiting for you. Let's go home together," Yu Xi called out to her retreating figure.
Ye Qingzhou went up to the second floor and called to the waiter, "Don't let him come up."
"Yes." The shop assistant looked at the loose silver coins she gave him, readily agreed, and stood guard at the top of the stairs.
Yu Xi tried to go up several times, but was stopped each time. He had no choice but to order a pot of wine and wait in the lobby downstairs.
As the sun sets, the inn is bustling with business.
Several men walked to the door and stopped.
A dark-skinned, stout man said to Jiang Jinghong, "Now, we've become friends after this fight. It was all a misunderstanding. The man with the sprained ankle claimed to be your brother and fooled both groups of us. Brother Jiang, I'm truly sorry."
His senior brother patted him on the shoulder: "Hu Qijin, don't just talk the talk, you have to take what my junior brother said to heart."
"Don't worry, Master Zeng. My family has been making sesame cakes for generations, and everyone in town knows us. We won't be setting up our stall tonight; we've got everything covered," Hu Da patted his chest and loudly assured him.
Jiang Jinghong took out some silver and gave it to him: "I'm sorry for interfering with your business. This is a small token of my appreciation."
Hu Qijin declined a couple of times, but then accepted it.
As soon as the waiter saw Jiang Jinghong and Master Zeng, he pulled them into the inn through the back door.
"Madam, open the door."
Upon hearing the sound, Ye Qingzhou quickly opened the door, his face beaming with joy: "Jinghong."
Jiang Jinghong entered the room and bolted the door. He then pulled Ye Qingzhou into his arms. The two short hours of separation felt like two years; his longing and worry had piled up like an iceberg, needing the warmth of his lover to melt it.
"I miss you so much."
Jiang Jinghong's words and passionate kiss landed on Ye Qingzhou's ears.
Seeing her ears turn red and her cheeks flush, Jiang Jinghong couldn't help but smile. Warm, wet kisses followed, adorning her beautiful face. Finally, he touched her lips.
"So sweet."
Ye Qingzhou placed her soft, white hand over his mouth to prevent him from saying anything that would make her blush and her heart race.
Jiang Jinghong took her hand and kissed it: "You are my wife."
She is not Yu Xi's wife.
The next day, at dinner, Yu Xi welcomed his wife.
At that moment, he had just taken a sip of wine and picked up a bite of food. A woman, holding an infant in her arms, rushed to his table and snatched his wine away.
Yu Xi looked at the madwoman, her clothes tattered, and her face seemed somewhat familiar: "Yan'er!"
Liu Yan'er shoved the swaddled baby into Yu Xi's arms and immediately burst into tears: "Husband! You've made Yan'er search everywhere. Our child almost starved to death."
The child burst into tears after being thrown like that.
Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Yu Xi was somewhat dazed. The baby's cries were very loud, but he patiently lifted the cloth bundle: "This is... my son?"
Liu Yan'er said, "Of course it's true! I swear to God. It's true."
Yu Xi's face lit up with joy as she picked up the child. Looking at Liu Yan'er, she gave her a disapproving look: "You bitch, where did you put all the money?"
"My cousin and his advisor, they've used it to lend money at exorbitant interest rates. Sir! Go get it back! Go!"
Yu Xi ignored her, scrutinizing the tears on her face and weighing the truthfulness of her words.
Liu Yan'er shook Yu Xi's sleeve, and seeing that he was unmoved, she knelt down in front of so many people and cried, "Master! You are Yan'er's heaven and earth, you must stand up for Yan'er!"
He is the master! He is the god! Yu Xi found the words agreeable, as if he had returned to Fengcheng, to the time when he was adorned in fine silks and brocades. He drank a cup of wine with satisfaction and reached out to help Liu Yan'er up: "My wife, get up."
"Clap clap clap clap!" Several sudden claps rang out.
Jiang Jinghong helped Ye Qingzhou downstairs, beaming with joy: "Congratulations, Brother Yu, on your reunion with your spouse. No, it's a family of three reunited."
Yu Xi cursed under her breath and moved closer to Ye Qingzhou.
Holding her child, Liu Yan'er clung to Yu Xi, sobbing, "Master, please don't abandon us, mother and child."
Liu Yan'er cried, and the child cried too. Yu Xi was so annoyed by the two of them, one big and one small, that her head was spinning.
Ye Qingzhou didn't pay attention to Yu Xi, only glancing at the child when she heard him crying. Counting the days, Yu Xi had already hooked up with Liu Yan'er so early. Back then, she was only…
Jiang Jinghong's smile was almost impossible to suppress. Ye Qingzhou had witnessed this scene and would no longer have any feelings for Yu Xi.
Jiang Jinghong stepped forward and blocked Ye Qingzhou's eyes: "The four of us living a good life is better than anything else."
Yes, Ye Qingzhou gently placed her hand on her belly, tenderly protecting her unborn child.
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